


Autumn Kisses

by DinoRoar



Series: Parchments of Prompt Responses [18]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Autumn, Bisexual James Potter, Bonfires, Emotional Hurt, Eventual Romance, Explicit Language, Freedom, Gay Regulus Black, Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Sex, Kissing, M/M, Magic, Magical Core, Making Up, Marauders, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Meddling Sirius Black, Miscommunication, Not Canon Compliant, One Night Stands, POV James Potter, POV Regulus Black, Romance, Suggestive Themes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:14:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27128414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DinoRoar/pseuds/DinoRoar
Summary: James and Regulus spent one night together over Summer, a night where the heat from the flames, and the releasing of their magic, led to some things happening. Now they're back at Hogwarts, and Regulus was doing a pretty good job at avoiding him, until now that is.
Relationships: Regulus Black & Sirius Black, Regulus Black/James Potter, Sirius Black & James Potter
Series: Parchments of Prompt Responses [18]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1719328
Comments: 7
Kudos: 126





	Autumn Kisses

Regulus made his way around the grounds of Hogwarts, skirting along the boundary line separating the school grounds from the forbidden forest. His eyes were locked on the ground as focused on the fallen leaves beneath his boots. The sound of crisp crunches and the crackle of leaves being trodden on entranced him, there was no other sound like the leaves in Autumn. As the wind began to pick up, Regulus buried his nose into the thick green scarf he had tightly wound around his neck, watching as leaves in varying shades of vibrant orange and yellow began to swirl in the air.

Autumn was his favourite time of year, he was finally away from the constant fighting and screaming between his parents, and back in the relative safety of Hogwarts. The weather was mysterious, ever changing between warm and windy. Regulus liked to feel the cool breeze nipping at his face, and yet the slight warmth from the lingering sun was not unwelcome. To Regulus, Autumn smelled like nature. The overwhelming smell of falling leaves, drizzly days and the sap from early mornings was everything that Regulus eagerly awaited.

Pausing, Regulus breathed in deeply, inhaling the scent of the surrounding woodlands. Coking his head to one side, Regulus could hear the leaves crackling as someone began to approach, not many were up and about in the early hours of the morning, especially not on a Saturday. The weekends were usually reserved for lie-ins and lazy mornings, but Regulus liked to be alone and he especially liked being outside in the open air. He waited in place, listening as the ground shifted slightly from beneath incoming feet, preparing himself to put on the mask of a sociable and charismatic heir.

"I've been looking all over for you!" Regulus froze, having not expected to hear James Potter of all people, calling for him, especially seeing as he had been avoiding the other boy since Summer. He had been doing quite well up until this moment.

"Well, I've been around, maybe you weren't looking hard enough?" Regulus spoke softly, barely audible over the swirling wind.

"Trust me, I've been looking pretty hard for you. I thought we were going to talk about what happened," James spoke, his voice coming out in harsh puffs as he made his way closer. "And yet suddenly, you seem to be completely off the radar and no one can find you."

"I've been busy James, not everything in my life revolves around you, I've had a lot on my mind lately," the words weren't meant to come across so bitter and full of contempt, and yet Regulus couldn't bring himself to apologise for such a blunt delivery.

"Alright then, you've been busy. Sorry for thinking that you darting in the opposite direction every time I appeared, was you avoiding me. I was clearly wrong," Regulus forgot how sarcastic James could be, and in that moment, did not appreciate it at all. It was even more annoying that he wasn't wrong, Regulus had been intentionally avoiding James, and they both knew it no matter what excuses Regulus gave.

"I suppose I can accept your apology," with a resolute nod Regulus began to continue on his walk, hoping that James would take that as a dismissal, and not an invitation to join him. Of course James took it as an invitation however and kept pace with him as they headed along the path towards the Greenhouses.

"You know you can't keep running away from me, from this, we need to talk about what happened between us Regulus!" James had lost calm demeanour, and in its place was a firm tone to his voice that Regulus had never heard before, it wasn't something he had expected from the older boy either. He was so carefree and easy going, he never seemed tense or stressed, but now that Regulus looked closer, he could see the deep circles under his eyes that told of many sleepless nights filled with overthinking.

"There's nothing to talk about James, it was a mistake, we both know it was." His words were firm and resolute, the product of constantly forcing himself to believe them until he reached the point of almost believing it himself.

"A mistake, you're telling me that it was all a mistake?" The distinct crack in his voice told Regulus that maybe he had something wrong, that James may have felt differently about everything that had happened between them.

~oOo~

Regulus remembered that night, how they sat around the bonfire in the Potter's garden, watching as the fire crackled and sparked with the influx of young and untrained magic. Flames flickered and embers floated upwards, filling the garden with a warm haze. They had all released their magic, allowing it to fill the grounds, twisting around their very beings in such tantalising ways. It was completely freeing. To let go of the locks and chains that contained such a powerful force within oneself was overwhelming, and such a powerful feeling.

Regulus had sat, curled so close to the fire he could feel his cheeks turning crimson from the heat pulsing through his body. James had been sat next to him, thighs pressed together as he laughed with Sirius across the blazing flames. It had felt so sinful, the way he felt his body react to the other boy, his brother's best friend at that. He had always known that he was attracted to males, but he had never felt such an attraction to someone like he did with James.

He had felt as a hand slowly travelled down his thigh to rest at his knee, sucking in a breath at the unexpected, and yet not unwelcome, touch, Regulus had frozen, not knowing what to do next. He hadn't known how to react as James began to softly stroke his knee with his thumb, he moved in sweeping motions that felt so gentle, forcing him to relax and release the tension within his shoulders. Regulus didn't know when it had happened, but at some point he ended up with his head resting on James' shoulder, nuzzling his face into the other boy's shoulder. James had begun to run his hands through Regulus' curls, ever so gently tugging on them in a teasing, flirtatious gesture.

Regulus didn't know if it was the sweltering heat from the bonfire, or if it was the freedom of their own personal magic intertwining and exploring with one another that led to such an amorous reaction between the two. He knew that the sharing and connection between magical cores could lead to such a reaction, but surely just sharing the same space shouldn't have led to such affections. He didn't regret it necessarily, but he was embarrassed, he had never meant to be so public with his affections. He had been raised to know that such relations were for behind closed doors, that others should not see the amorous indulgences of a couple. He and James weren't even a couple, they had just been caught up in the hazy heat, the lust of freedom and releasing their tightly wound magic.

Regulus remembered kisses, peppered across his face and finally upon his lips, kisses that turned into more, and the way that gentle touch of his knee turned wandering hands. It was as if they had been ignited inside, his blood had pumped like liquid fire, and their touch scorched them. Regulus tried to shake the image from his mind, but they refused to evaporate, it took over his mind and his every waking moment. His magic was out of control, and every time he thought of that moment, that evening he had shared with James, he knew that there was no one else on Earth that could make him feel that way.

~oOo~

He didn't regret that night, even if it was a haze of lust filled memories, he had definitely enjoyed himself and so had James. He did however regret his actions the next morning. Waking up in bed with James Potter of all people had panicked Regulus, this was his brother's best friend, the boy his brother trusted and loved (in a familial way) as much as he did Regulus, often referring to him as a second brother. The same boy that had been hopelessly in love with Lily Evans, ever since he started at Hogwarts.

There was no way that James could feel the same way as him, and Regulus didn't want to wait around to be told how much of a mistake he believed the whole thing to be, so he left. In the veil of darkness he had flooed back to the horror of a home he shared with his parents and spent the rest of Summer and start of the new year at Hogwarts avoiding James as much as was conceivably possible. Apparently James had realised that too, and had been attempting to hunt him down so they could 'discuss' what had happened between them.

"Yes, I'm calling it a mistake. It was a mistake for us to do what we did," Regulus was confused at the way James reacted, flinching away as if burned, and his eyes beginning to grow moist, as if coated with tears. He thought that this was what James wanted to hear, that Regulus wasn't going to hold him to anything over one evening of lust induced actions.

"I-I don't know what to say," he was frustrated, James began to pace back and forth, his hands moving wildly as he tried to find the words, "I thought you enjoyed it! I thought we were both enjoying it, am I insane? Was I imagining everything that happened between us?"

"I did enjoy it, but it was a mistake, you're in love with Lily, meaning you can't like me in that way, so clearly it was just a heat of the moment thing between us," Regulus rambled off, watching as James' eyes seemed to fill with comprehension as to what Regulus was saying. It was hard, rejecting someone he really liked, but clearly James understood where he was coming from, and Regulus was correct in his assumptions of it being a one night kind of thing.

"Have you never heard of liking both genders?" Regulus cocked his head to the side, confused as to where this conversation was now going. James rolled his eyes, before shrugging his shoulders, "I'm bloody bi Regulus. I like both genders equally, but I like you a lot more than any girl I've met, and that includes Evans."

"But you flirt with her constantly? And I'm just Sirius' kid brother, why would you want to be with me of all people?" Regulus questioned, confusion thick in his voice.

"Oh I don't know, maybe because I've had a giant flaming gay crush on you for years? Honestly Reg, who else would I cuddle with in front of a bonfire and then proceed to have very hot sex with? I mean, did you really think I was just seducing you because I was bored?" James continued to stare at Regulus, waiting for an answer, a reason behind his thought process, and yet there was nothing. James could tell from the expression on Regulus' face that he was right, he had thought that James had slept with him for no reason, and that he didn't actually care for Regulus.

It was too much for him, he'd spent months looking for him, trying to understand what he had done wrong. He had been prepared to apologise, to grovel on his knees for forgiveness, he had truly believed he'd fucked up and that Regulus hadn't wanted to sleep with him, but felt that there was no out. Apparently he had enjoyed it, which was a relief to James who had spent months panicking that he had somehow made Regulus feel forced into the situation.

"I can't believe this," James began to walk away, unable to stand the crushing feeling of despair and loneliness that seemed to overwhelm him. He had finally thought that he had found someone who wanted to be with him, and yet Regulus didn't even have faith in him to believe that his actions came from good intentions and not boredom. As if James would ever use someone in that way, it made his stomach roll in disgust at the very thought.

"Wait! Please don't go!" Regulus called out to him, forcing him to stop in place as leaves continued to swirl around them. "I was embarrassed. I didn't know what everything meant, or if you liked me, you never really seemed to show any interest in me before. I just thought that you would regret it later, and I didn't want to stick around and get my heart crushed if you did okay."

"Maybe you should have stuck around, so that we could talk it out then, because I really like you Regulus, and I've really liked you for a long time. We put each other through this unnecessary pain for no reason, that's a lot of time we wasted while acting like idiots," he had turned to face Regulus, pain and anguish so clearly readable upon his face.

"I know, trust me, I wish I'd stuck it out and just waited for you to wake up that morning. Once I'd left though, I couldn't exactly take it back, could I?" It was obvious to Regulus that they had both messed up, neither knew how to communicate what they wanted, and now both had suffered because of it.

"No, but maybe we could try and start anew, talk about it now and clear the air a bit? I don't want us to start anything with negativity or misconceptions already floating around," James spoke softly, his voice barely audible over the wind, but Regulus could hear the hopeful tone to his voice, knowing that was what he really wanted to do. "That's if you wanted to actually give it a try?"

"I'm in if you are, I want this, I want to feel happiness like that again," "you have to tell Sirius though, I'm not breaking that news to him." There was a teasing grin on Regulus' face, which was quickly wiped away at the sight of James smiling, before releasing belly aching laughter that reverberated through the air.

"I don't need to tell Sirius," Regulus cocked his head in confusion, surely James didn't want them to stay a secret, did he? "He already knows, heck, he was the one who pushed me to finally make a move at the bonfire." Regulus could hardly believe that his own brother had been secretly setting him up with James, and he hadn't realised it. Sirius was usually so obvious and could never keep something a secret, it truly baffled him as to how he was able to do it.

"You know what, I think I might actually throttle him. I can't believe I spent so many years telling him all about my crush on you, only for him to turn around and tell you!" Regulus couldn't help but to let it out, slightly irritated that his own brother couldn't give him a heads up about his whole plan. Surely he could have given Regulus a pre-warning, and then maybe he wouldn't have reacted the way he had.

"Wait, you're saying that Sirius knew you had a crush on me too?" The shock and outrage in James' voice was vividly clear as the pair stared at one another in realisation, Sirius had known all along, and had either done nothing about it, or had failed at attempting to help them. "The audacity! I'm going to throttle the little shit as soon as I get my hands on him!"

The pair continued to stare in bewilderment, before breaking down and laughing. There was nothing they could do now, except to shove their relationship in Sirius' face and show him that they had sorted it out themselves. Neither could believe how much time they could have spent together, but had wasted on stupid misunderstanding and communication issues.

"You'll have to get in line, because I've called it first. Don't worry, you can have what's left of him," Regulus flashed him a cocky smirk before sauntering in the direction of the castle, passing giant piles of leaves Hagrid must have collected the day before.

"Oh really? I get your leftovers huh?" James called teasingly.

"Sounds about right, I'd offer to race you for it, but you're getting older, I don't think you could catch me," there was a cheeky grin spread across his mouth as he peered over his shoulder at James,clearly riling him up just to see what he would do.

"You cheeky sod! That's it, you better run!" James began to run in his direction, fighting against the wind as it chafed his cheeks, blowing in the opposite direction. Regulus tried to get away, running as fast as he could, but he was no match for the athletic Quidditch player chasing him. Before Regulus could make any headway, he felt strong arms wrap around his waist, lifting him in the air, before he landed in a soft pile of leaves.

Spluttering slightly, he blinked in shock, struggling to see beyond the bright shades of orange and yellow blocking his view. Finally brushing them out of his view, he was barely upright before they blew their way back into his eyes as James jumped into the pile next to him. The pout on his lips must have been clear, as James laughed raucously, winding an arm around him while pulling him against his chest. Before Regulus could react, lips were pressed against his, and they melded together as one. It was everything Regulus had wanted, and been denying himself since Summer. He couldn't understand why now, because this was clearly what perfection felt like.


End file.
